易子而食

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Chinese

change; easy; simple
child; son; (noun suffix)
child; son; (noun suffix); small thing; seed; egg; 1st earthly branch; 11 p.m.–1 a.m., midnight
 
and; as well as; but (not)
and; as well as; but (not); yet (not); (shows causal relation); (shows change of state); (shows contrast)
 
eat; food; to feed
eat; food; to feed; animal feed
 
trad. (易子而食) 易 子 而 食
simp. #(易子而食) 易 子 而 食

Etymology

From Zuo Zhuan:

敝邑易子而食，析骸以爨。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]
From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4th century BCE
Bìyì yìzǐ'érshí, xīháiyǐcuàn.
In the city we are exchanging our children and eating them, and splitting up their bones for fuel.

Pronunciation

Idiom

易子而食

  1. people exchange their children with one another and eat them (describing dire famines caused by disasters)
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